Method of forming curved and flanged or ribbed metal bars.



No. 65|,054. Patented June 5, I900.

F. PHILIPS.

METHOD OF FORMING CURVED AND FLANGED 0R RIBBED METAL BARS.

(Application filed Sent. 18, 1889.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

JYGQ

N m s s N No. 65l,054. Patented June 5, I900.

F. PHILIPS. I

METHOD 0F FIIHEMING CUBVED AND FLANGEDOB RIBBED MEIAL BARS.

(Application filed Sept.'18, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet 2.

N0. 65l,054. Patented June 5, I900.

F. PHILIPS.

METHOD- OF FORMING CUBVED AND FLANGED 0B BIBBED METAL BARS.

(Application filed Sept. 18, 1899.)

s Sheets-Shet 3 (No Model.)

NIT-ED STATES PATENT Trio.

FERDINAND PHILIPS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHQD OF FORMING CURVED AND FLANGED OR RIBBED METAL BARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651 ,054, dated June 5, 1900.

Original application filed June 29, 1899, Serial No. 722,235. Divided and this application filed September 18, 1899. serial No. 730,827. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND PHILIPS, a

subject of the Emperor of Germany, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a oer-- tain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Forming Curved and Flanged or Ribbed Metal Bars, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My invention relates to a method offorming curved metal plates with flanges or ribs extending parallel to the plane of curvature. Particularly my method is designed for forming sheet-metal plates or bars of this character, although it is applicable to rolled sections as well.

The particular object I have in view is the formation of a pulley-rim section, though, as will be obvious, such curved bars may be used for other purposes as well.

In the formation of sheet-metal rims I first bend or fold the sheet along parallel'longitudinal lines into a flanged or ribbed bar of the desired sectional conformation, and having provided such a bar, either as above described or as a rolled section, my-method of bending it to the desired curvature is to press it progressively on the face of a convexlycurved matrix and in a direction parallel to the plane or planes of its rim or flanges, while at the same time I support the flange or flanges at or very near the point where they are being bent against lateraldistortion, thus insuringthat the flange after it is curved shall lie substantially in the same plane as it did in the straight bar and also insuring a uniform degree of crimping, &c.-, in the flanges, the permanent form thus given to which prevents any tendency in the curved bar as a whole to resume its original form.

In the practice of my method the flanged bar is held upon the face of the matrix at or near the one end of the portion to be curved and then progressively bent over the matrix, being always anchored to the face of the matrix in the rear of the portion beingbent. Thus the bending proceeds by a succession of differential bends, so to speak, by which the strains are brought upon the bar, and

particularly upon its rims or flanges, very gradually, but with the immediate completion of the bending operation upon the portion, however small, acted upon. Thus the bar treated by my method has during the operation of bending it substantially no partially-bent portion, the uncurved bar mergin g immediately into the com pletely-curved bar.

The concave matrix which I prefer to employ in practicing my invention is a roller with which coacts a bending-roller acting to force the bar down upon the face of the matrix-roller. This particular mechanism, however, as well as many other mechanical improvements designed to facilitate the practice of my process, forms the subject-matter of my divisional application filed June 29, 1899, Serial No. 722,235, and will be described in this application simply as one means for practicing my method.

Reference being now had to the drawings, in which is illustrated my machine for practicing my method, Figure lis a side elevation of the bending-machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine from the opposite side. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the machine, taken on the section-line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central section through a matrixroller, showinga clamping device for anchoring the bar to be treated. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a portion of the matrix-roller, showing the clamping device in Fig. 5. Figs. 7 to 11 are a series of views illustrating the progressive bending operation upon a bar of sheet metalin the operation of converting it into a flanged or ribbed bar. 'Figs.-12 and 13 are perspective views illustrating further operations performed upon the bar in order to complete it in the form which I prefer. Fig. 14 is a perspective View showing the bar of Fig. 13 after it has been curved in accordance with my method. Fig. 15 is a perspective view illustrating another form of sheetmetal ribbed or flanged baralso curved in accordance with my invention. Fig. 16 is an .end view of two flanged bars abutted together so as to form a section somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 16 and which may be curved together, if desired. Fig. 17 is a sketch view showing a modification or reversal of the conformation of the matrix and pressurerolls.

The method of bending the metal plate into the forms shown in Figs. 11 and 13 and by the stepsindicated in Figs. 7110 13 is described in another application for Letters Patent, filed by me June 30, 1899, Serial No. 722,412, in which case is also described and claimed mechanism especially adapted for effecting the folding indicated in Figs. 8 to 10. In still another application for Letters Patent, filed June 29, 1899, Serial No. 722,236, I have described the structural form illustrated in the section Fig. 15 and my preferred method for making this form from sheet metal, while the sheetmetal rim illustrated in Fig. 14: forms in part the subject-matterof my application filed January 21, 1890, Serial No. 702,903.

Referring new again to the drawings, A A indicate the supporting-framings of my ma chine, A a horizontally extending table slotted as indicated at a, and A an upwardly-extcnding portion of the framing slotted as indicated at (t A being aplate secured across the top of the slotted portion and formed with a perforation or slot, as indicated at of, for the passage of the adjusting-screw.

A A are beveled edges of the standard A extending out on each side of the slot indicated at a Bis a plate formed, as shown, with an inwardly-beveled groove the edges of which are indicated at B B and which edges lap over the beveled edges A, above mentioned. I have indicated at b a shim between the bevel B and the adjacent edge A, while at B I have shown a tapered recess formed in the inner face of the plate B, into which fits a tapered head 0 of a bolt 0, the edge of the head fitting up against the adjoining beveled edge A and it will be obvious that by means of such bolts, either with or without shims, as indicated at Z), a very close fit can be made between the bevels B and B and those of the standard A B indicates a split lug extending inward from the plate B and lying within the slot a of the standard A This split lug is perforated and carries between its upper and lower portions a nut into which screws the threaded adjusting-rod, (indicated at I,) said rod being supported by a head I, resting on the plate A and turned by means of the hand-wheel 1 The turning of the rod of course raises or lowers the plate B to any position desired.

B is a rearward extension of the plate B.

B and B are hearings or supports for a shaft or bar D.

b b are bearings for a shaft E E.

hat I have referred to as :the shaft or bar D D has for its function merely to support the outer end of the shaft E. Its ontwardly-projecting portion is preferably made tapering, as indicated at D, and it is provided at its outer end with a plate or bar F connecting a hub F, through which passes the end of the shaft D D, with the hub F, through which passes the end of the shaft E.

E is a gear-wheel secured on the end of the shaft E, the pitch-line of which would be of the same diameter as the bending-roller secured on the same shaft and to be hereinafter described.

G G is a shaft supported in bearings a a of the frame A, its outer end G extending beneath the end E of the shaft E and being formed, as shown, with a slot g.

G is a gear-wheel fitting on the end of the shaft G and having a pitch-line correspond ing with that of the matrix-roller secured on the same shaft. The gear-wheel G2 is in operative engagement with a gear-wheel E", as shown.

II is a slide movable in the slotted plate A and carrying a bearing II for a shaft, to one end of which is secured a gear-wheel H and to the other end of which is secured a pulley wheel H by means of which pulley-wheel the machine is driven. The plate II is made adjustable, so as to accommodate the gear G to different sizes of gear-wheels G.

J, Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, is a simple form of matrix-roller. The roller .I is secured on the shaft G G, as shown, and is formed with an annular central slot J, adapted to receive and fit quite but not very closely a flange or rim of the bar to be bent. As shown, I have also formed the roller J with corner edges J J against which the edge flanges of the bar to be bent are fitted closely.

K is the bending-roller in connection with which the matrix-roller works and which in the case of bars having edge flanges is provided with outwardly-extending annular end flanges K K, which fit over the side flanges of the bar being bent on the matrix-roller and eoact with the side edges J to prevent the lateral distortion of these flanges.

In working with a roller-matrix it is desirable that one end of the bar should be clamped at one end to the matrix-roll, and this may conveniently be done by the device indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, lugs J being formed on the inside of the roller and supporting the fulcrum-pins L L, upon which are pivoted levers L L, the inner ends of which may be forced apart, as by means of a screw L so that their outer ends, preferably corrugated, as shown at L may be used to bite upon and hold fast the web or rim of the flange-plate.

Referring particularly to Figs. 7 to 14, O indicates the flat plate or bar of sheet metal. It is first bent, as indicated in Fig. 11, at 0 o to form the flanges O O, which are in the completed bar to form the central rim or web of the section. It is next bent, as indicated in Fig. 9, at 0 0 to form the folds O 0 which are then pressed in, as indicated in Figs. 10 and 11, until the flanges O are brought together. The folds 0 are then brought up into contact with the flat surface 0 of the plate, as indicated in Fig. 12, leaving a heading where the folds O are made, and by subsequent operations this beading shown in Fig. 12 is converted into flanges 0 as shown in Fig. 13, and the bar is then ready to be bent by the machine, as described and as shown in the drawings, or the beading may be pressed into the flange during the operation of curving the bar in the machine.

Instead of making a two-ply sheet-metal bar, as I may call the one above described,

the bar may be formed of sheet metal as indicated in Fig. 15, a central fold forming the rib or flange P, the metal being folded outward, as indicated at P P and then inward again, as indicated at P P Pulley-rims can also be made from two pieces of sheet metal in my machine and by my method by forming the pieces as indicated in Fig. 16, abutting together the flange Q of the plate Q Q, and then subjecting the two plates together to the bending operation, as described.

In rolling a section curved as indicated in Fig. 15 the central slot for the web of the plate is formed under pressure-roll K, as indicated in Fig. 17, while the matrix-roll may.

conveniently carry the outwardly-extending end flanges, as shown in the same figure. The operation is precisely the same so far as affording support against lateral distortion is concerned.

It will be understood that in curving the flange or flanges of the ribbed bar made up of folded sheet metal the tendency of the metal is to crimp and that I do not as a rule contemplate making the groove in the matrix so close a fit as to actually prevent such crimping. On the contrary, I prefer to make use of this tendency, allowing the metal to crimp, but regulating the extent to which it can do so, and so insuring an even symmetrical crimping, which in no sense distorts the flange and is practically equivalent to an upsetting of the metal.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of bending flanged or ribbed metal bars in a plane parallel to their flange or flanges which consists in securing the portion of the bar to be bent on the face of a convex matrix, progressively bending the bar upon and about the matrix and supporting the flange or flanges while being bent against lateral distortion.

2. The method of forming flanged or ribbed and curved metal bars from sheet metal which consists in folding a sheet on parallel longi tudinal lines to form a ribbed or flanged bar and then progressively bending said ribbed or flanged bars in a plane parallel with its flange or flanges upon and about the face of a convexly-curved matrix and supporting the.

flange or flanges while being bent against lateral distortion.

3. The method of bending flanged or ribbed metal bars in a plane parallel to that of its flange or flanges which consists in progressively bending the bar in the direction in which its flanges extend from its face upon and about a convexly-curved matrix and supporting the flange or flanges against lateraldistortion at and near the points where they are subjected to the bending strain.

FERDINAND PHILIPS.

Witnesses: D. STEWART, CHAS. F. MYnRs. 

